As a conductive polymer gel, for example, there have hitherto been known the following.    (1) Japanese Patent Application, First Publication No. 2001-406 (Document 1) discloses a conductive polymer gel suitable for use in a biomedical electrode which is employed for measurement of a local bioelectric signal, and electrotherapy. An adhesive force of the conductive polymer gel does not decrease even when washed with water, and recovers to the previous level. The conductive polymer gel contains a crosslinked synthetic polymer, water, a polyhydric alcohol and an electrolyte salt. When the proportion of the crosslinked synthetic polymer is within a range from 18 to 25% by weight, the resulting gel contains a polymer main chain in a proper proportion and has sufficient stiffness strength. Since an electrolytic solution enclosed in a network of the gel can be stably maintained, a conductive polymer gel having characteristics described above is obtained.    (2) Synthetic Metals 99 (1999), 53-59 (Document 2), discloses that a solid film made of a gel-like polythiophene having a three-dimensional network is obtained by a method for electrolytic polymerization (electropolymerization) of a monomer. According to the method, polymerization and gelation of the monomer must be conducted in the same process.
However, the conductive polymer gel obtained by the prior art and the production method thereof had the following problems.
Since the conductive polymer gel disclosed in (1) contains an electrolyte and the electrolyte exhibits conductivity, it may exhibit unstable conductivity or fail to ensure good conductivity when exposed to an atmosphere at a temperature lower than the freezing point of water. That is, it was difficult for the conductive polymer gel of the prior art to maintain good conductivity in an atmosphere at low temperature lower than the freezing point of water.
Although the conductive polymer gel disclosed in (2) exhibits conductivity without containing an electrolyte, polymerization and gelation of the monomer must be conducted in the same process, and thus the process is complicated and a high level of technique is required in view of controllability.
As a toner for forming a circuit board, a toner comprising a core portion composed of metal particles, and an insulating resin portion, with which the surface of the core portion is coated, is used, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application, First Publication No. 2002-151828 (Document 3) and Japanese Patent Application, First Publication No. 2003-255594 (Document 4).
When the toner containing metal particles is used in the production of a printed circuit board and electronic parts, it is difficult to separate metal powders constituting the toner from organic components such as a resin portion upon disposal of the printed circuit board and electronic parts. Therefore, it is difficult to recycle resources.
In particular, the toner for formation of the circuit board of the prior art comprises a core portion made of metal particles and, even if the printed circuit board and electronic parts produced by using the toner are incinerated, the metal component remains.
A conductive paste is a mixture of a conductive material such as metal powder, and a resin binder. The conductive paste is applied on a base material such as resin film or a substrate and is then cured by heating, thereby making it possible to impart conductivity to the base material. Therefore, the conductive paste is employed to form printed circuit boards such as antenna coils for RF-ID (Radio Frequency-Identification), circuit board of printed circuit boards, electrodes of liquid crystal displays, and membranes circuit boards of keyboards. In addition to the printed circuit boards, the conductive paste is employed to bond terminals and lead wires of electronic parts, and to form an internal conductive film (interlayer connection conductive layer) of a laminated ceramic capacitor.
As the conductive paste, Japanese Patent Application, First Publication No. Hei 1-159906 (Document 5) and Japanese Patent Application, First Publication No. Hei 9-306240 (Document 6) disclose a conductive paste comprising a metal powder, as a main component, and a resin vehicle (resin binder) in which the metal powder is dispersed.
Upon disposal of the printed circuit board and electronic parts, which employ the conductive paste, it is difficult to separate metal powders constituting the conductive paste from organic components such as resin vehicle. Therefore, it is difficult to recycle resources.
Since a polymer electrolyte type fuel cell (hereinafter referred to as PEFC) comprises a solid polymer film as an electrolyte and operates at low temperature within a range from 80 to 100° C., and is also capable of reducing size and weight, it is expected to be practically used as a power supply for moving vehicles such as electric cars.
An example of a technique with regard to PEFC is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application, First Publication No. 2003-282078 (Document 7). FIG. 22 is a schematic view showing a cell 3101 constituting a power generation portion of PEFC of the prior art. The cell 3101 comprises a polymer electrolyte film 3102, and a fuel electrode (negative electrode) 3131 and an air electrode (positive electrode) 3132 provided at both sides of the polymer electrolyte film 3102. The fuel electrode 3131 and the air electrode 3132, which serve as an electrode 3103, is composed of porous supporting layers 3161a and 3161b made of a carbon paper, as a current collector, and catalyst layers 3162a and 3162b provided on the supporting layers 3161a and 3161b. 
The fuel electrode 3131 and the air electrode 3132 are provided at both sides of the polymer electrolyte film 3102 in a state in which the catalyst layers 3162a and 3162b are contacted with the polymer electrolyte film 3102.
A hydrogen gas is fed to the fuel electrode 3131 and the hydrogen gas is adsorbed to the catalyst layer 3162a on the fuel electrode 3131, and is then converted into hydrogen ions and electrons. The resulting hydrogen ions move to the side of the air electrode 3132 in the polymer electrolyte film 3102, together with water, while electrons flow through an external circuit board (not shown) toward the air electrode 3132 from the fuel electrode 3131.
An oxygen gas is fed to the air electrode 3132 and the oxygen gas is adsorbed to the catalyst layer 3162b on the air electrode 3132, and water is produced from oxygen molecules, and hydrogen ions and electrons moved from the fuel electrode 3131.
As the material of the catalyst layers 3162a and 3162b, platinum and a platinum alloy are mainly used. Since platinum is expensive, the cost required to produce PEFC increases. To reduce the amount of platinum, various techniques have been reported. However, since catalytic activity is reduced by an influence of catalyst poisoning due to a trace amount of carbon monoxide contained in a hydrogen gas in the fuel electrode 3131, it is necessary to use a large amount of platinum. Therefore, it is difficult to reduce the amount of platinum.
Furthermore, the fuel electrode 3131 and the air electrode 3132 are respectively composed of two layers, for example, supporting layers 3161a and 3161b and catalyst layers 3162a and 3162b, and each layer has a large thickness. Therefore, reductioon of the thickness of the electrode 3103 and the fuel cell is limited.